There has probably never been a better time to be a Military or Aviation collector than right now. The military collectible market is booming, with many offerings in both die-cast and plastic ranges. There are a number of companies producing die-cast collectible airplanes and armor that covers almost anything you could want, but another scale has been growing in popularity as well. Over the last few years, the 1:18th scale military collectible market has been steadily gaining steam with companies like 21st Century Toys and BBi leading the charge with their highly detailed mass market toys. Those of us who grew up in the 80’s with G.I. Joe can now graduate to a much more sophisticated military toy. This scale can appeal to a wide audience, for it allows for even greater detail and larger articulated figures that can be posed and positioned how you see fit. This is ideal for large scale dioramas builders out there, granted, they have the massive shelf space to display them. There is a newcomer to the 1:18th scale arena called Admiral Toys and their first replica is a stunning entry to an already competitive market.

Admiral Toys’ F-86E Sabre Jet is quite impressive. Once you get it out of the package and attach the wings and tail pieces, one thing really stands out about this plane. It is big and it is heavy, but most importantly, it is beautiful. With a wingspan of nearly 25 inches and the fuselage measuring around 24 inches in length, adequate shelf space or display room definitely becomes a nagging concern. Still, the plane is just too pretty to care about where you’re going to put it. It is clear that a lot of work was put into the design and construction of this model. The sculpt features a great amount of detail. All of the panel lines are clean, and the rivets don’t look oversized or out of place as they many times do on planes in this scale. The plane comes fully painted with authentic markings and numbering. The real life F-86’s were skinned in bare aluminum. Admiral Toys’ version accomplishes this look by painting it a bright silver color that simulates the bare metal look nicely. The majority of the fighter is silver, with a few panels painted gray here and there. This matches the look of the real version quite effectively. The only thing about the paint that I think could have improved the look even more, is if it had a little bit of weathering on the surface to give it a more used look. As it sits, the plane looks absolutely pristine. This isn’t a bad thing necessarily. It just means that this particular F-86 hasn’t seen any combat…Yet. Still, this is a very minor quibble. The plane looks great in any case. There’s no need to go and guild lilies and all that. All of the surface markings are authentic in color and design to the real jet. All the paint lines are clean with little to no fading or bleeding. Adorning, the fuselage is the big Jolley Roger flag with a sabre through it. These markings are tampo-sprayed on and look smashing. There are also a number of tiny warnings and description lettering on the plane that are all legible. Anyone with a keen eye or a magnifying glass can read all of the little cautions and warnings. Sometimes these markings are jibberish block text because either the companies figure that these are too small for anyone to read, or they lack the information available to make it correct to the actual plane. This is not the case with Admiral Toys. They definitely did their homework.

The F-86E features a number of moving parts. All of the control surfaces are movable just like on the real plane. The elevators, ailerons, rudder and air breaks all can be moved and positioned. It has working landing gear and several opening panels that allow you to see some of the inner detail on the plane including the magazine clips for the machine guns housed in the nose. The canopy can also be opened and features a wonderfully detailed cockpit. The instrument panel is nicely painted and detailed. The F-86 also comes with a removable seatbelt so you can strap Captain Jolley in for action.

This brings us to who I can only assume is supposed to be Captain Jolley himself. The pilot figure included with the F-86 is okay. In terms of construction, he is very similar to the figures offered by BBi. He is fully posable and features 18 points of articulation. While he fits well in the cockpit, the detailing isn’t that great on him. His outfit vaguely resembles a Korean War era pilot and the headsculpt looks a little strange and eerily smiley. His helmet is a little odd as well. Still, he has a removable oxygen mask. It’s just too bad you can’t attach it to his face for it is always off to the side. It is clear that they focused heavily on the aircraft and less so on the pilot. He’s still a decent figure. He just looks less impressive if he’s anywhere but in the pilot’s seat.

The Admiral Toys F-86E Sabre Jet should feel right at home with the offerings from 21st Century Toys or BBi. Each company has strengths and weaknesses that are evident in the models they make. I think this plane should secure the Admiral a good place in the mix. They certainly shouldn’t be overlooked. It is rare that a small company could rise to such standards right out of gates. Overall, I am very impressed with this plane and it is only their first offering. Admiral Toys has created a wonderful display model of a very important plane in U.S. history. While most companies focus on WWII or Viet Nam era vehicles, it’s nice to see someone make something from the Korean War for a change. These guys have certainly done it justice. It is a nearly flawless entry into the 1:18th field and I, for one, am very anxious to see what else is to come from this new company based in Texas. It should be noted that Admiral Toys is a specialty market company. Every plane or tank that they make is a limited run. In fact, they will only make one run of each item made, so it will only collect value with time and it is comparable in price to other offerings on the market. Really, it’s only about ten dollars more than either 21st Century Toys or BBi, depending where you go. I think this plane is worth every penny. This is definitely a company that has a deep love for interesting aircraft and armor, and it shows in this great display model.